The last thing I remember before being in a near life-ending accident with my teammate and his father, I remember two days before that. I drove back from Illinois to Des Moines with my teammate and previous U.S National team member Brandon Wright back on November, 29th 2013. We talked about what we wanted to do in our lives. He wanted to tell people to Regret No Opportunity through a movement he started, which highlighted truth in embracing opportunities given when ones own narrow ways has led them a direction not intended & I wanted to show everyone God is real, I know a big task right? Then the next thing I remember is leaving the hospital with my mother on December 24th, 2013. I was confused!
Instead of going to my college home, we went to my hometown of Galesburg, IL. Riding in the passenger seat because I had to, I knew inside this was far from over. I was up against a lot, I had professionals tell me it’s over. Good thing I knew those professionals didn’t know my future. With huge dreams still possible, I had to refocus on small goals in light of still being able to chase my big dreams.
I never once accepted my reality as permanent. I was 23 years old at the time and barely scratching my potential. Within my mind the question God asked me was “How bad do you want this?”
Looking back I wanted to just wake up and have only lived it in a dream, but this was real! Facing my reality head on, in less than a month I went from the best wrestler in the country to then being in a coma 14 days, waking up in a 4 year old vegetable state, learning how to walk and talk again with 10 more days, to living at home in my parent’s dining room recovering.
The motivation came from a lot of places, especially being 23 at the time, close to finishing school and capping off a great senior season. The hardest part wasn’t the work I put in to make it possible, the hardest part was fighting enemy forces telling me it was over!
John 10:10 says, The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus has come so we may have life and have it to its fullness!
The enemy we all face tried to steal my joy, kill off my dreams and destroy my hope, but God stepped in as God does for us every-time. I just had to have faith in it!
I could of let the many doubts, worries, and fears stop my progress. I could have settled for the condition I was in but my Faith in God and me being able to do anything through Christ gave me the strength, which strengthened my courage. I had enough hope to not stop until what I’m praying for has come into existence.
Instead of focusing on how long it will be (until), I just worked for a (chance to). I then looked up and after a few months of rehab, a re-broken and wired up jaw, lots of prayers I was heading into a doctors office to get cleared to go back to school and start wrestling again!
I heard “no” so many times that I got tired of hearing “no”.
I decided to listen to the (still small) voice of God in my head telling me “keep going”, “don’t stop”, “you’re able”, “Do you believe in me?” “I am with you!”
God never promises us an easy life, and yes, bad things happen to good people in a broken world, but that is exactly why we are still able through Christ!
How many times have you let another human’s “No” stop your progress? In my mind those “no’s” are influences from enemy forces to do what he has come to do & the enemy doesn’t sleep! That’s when you have to know angels of protection are encamped around us,
Faith is believing in what you can’t see, so knowing that the enemy can do anything but kill me I faced this giant just as David stood up against Goliath and instead of taking everything lost as it being over I stood strong in God just as Job did! The Bible isn’t there to just tell us what happened then, it’s alive and active to show us what we are to do now!
The battle doing what I fought for!
I forgot everything I learned about wrestling mechanic wise since 6th grade! Talk about a tough truth to take in! Before the accident I was one of the studs in the room that showed up everyday ready to battle and leave everyday knowing I got better! After months of wrestling, swimming, other conditioning my opportunity was approaching & what better place than Las Vegas? From April until December I went from a beginner to a now college wrestler ready to go and fight for a win! With my toe on the line, I knew God was with me through it all for me to be moments away from going to battle again for real now. A year prior I was relearning how to walk again! (Thank you God)! I had a chance to not just win but relive my entire last year in the moments of a 7-minute wrestling match! “To God be the Glory”, the match ended I was the victor and instantly dropped to my knees Thanking God for everything! A few months later I danced across my College Graduation stage because the testimony wasn’t over yet. I once heard I would never go to school again, I graduated! (Thank you God)
From then until now
Over the next year I worked as a paraprofessional with students who the doctors told me I’d once be! Powerful, I learned that these students are more than amazing! You just have to take the time to find out for yourself if you don’t already know it, the gifts my students had were nothing but God’s giving! These kids wowed me everyday and God placing me there reassured me of what my calling is. That’s to just be an example of knowing and believing God is still in control! Within 5 years I have learned how to re-walk, talk, function on my own, wrestle, cognitively function, graduated with a B.A. in Sports Management, Compete on the Senior Level in a new style of Greco wrestling, Start a business, develop as an artist, travel to another country, finish Grad school, received my M.A. in counseling from Colorado Christian University, and much more! The promise is even Greater, I’m still doing more because I can and I’m able to!!! I love you all, and be all that you can still be. No matter how broken you think you are God is Greater, trust his plan, your own faith and know God is for you!
Regret No Opportunities. God Got Me, God Got You!
